Dancing with Shadows
by sakebottle
Summary: Nara Shikaku was in deep trouble this time he just had to hold out unitl help arrived and he could see his wife and tiny son again. Easy? More troublesome than you think.


**Dancing with Shadows**

_by Sakebottle_

_Disclaimer: If I owned Naruto I'd be a billionaire as it happens I'm not so obviously I don't_

Suzki Kohaku had barely settled into his tiny room next door to ANBU's small medical bay when he was called upstairs for debriefing. The new ANBU field medic gathered together his equipment and hurried to the designated room.

The briefing agent gave him a tiny smile and handed a crisp folder over. Kohaku took it and flicked through before setting it back on the desk.

The briefing agent cleared his throat, "As you can see we have an operative missing in the field. Your mission to find him and bring him home, alive if possible. Preferably alive."

Well duh, Kohaku thought, obviously you want them alive. Outwardly he nodded, "I accept. When do I leave?"

"As soon as possible. We lost communication with Badger just before he was about to launch his attack."

Kohaku's amber eyes flicked over the last know coordinates memorizing them. Then I stood up and pressed two fingers over his still healing ANBU tattoo, "I'll bring him back."

* * *

Nara Shikaku had got into scraps before but not like this. He lay half naked on the hard stone floor of an Ame interrogation cell curled into himself to preserve body heat.

His tormentors had left for now leaving him dehydrated and all most of his fingers broken. They were clean breaks though and could be easily fixed.

He was just about to drop off when the door slammed open again reviling his chief tormentor. The head of Ame's Interrogation and Torture unit was a tall slim man with a missing eye and dark hair closely shorn to his scalp.

He crouched down next to Shikaku and pulled the younger man's head up by his hair, "Why is Konoha investigating us?" he demanded.

Shikaku shrugged, "Maybe they want your fish," he answered mildly.

The interrogator snarled, "Look you can answer my questions or not its up to you but if you don't want to die you'll give me the information that I want."

"Go to hell," the injured Nara spat.

"Not before you," the Ame-nin replied. He pulled a long knife from his belt and pressed it to Shikaku's face just above his right eye, "Tell me."

"No."

Pain, like nothing Shikaku had felt before. The knife cut through his skin like butter. He screamed and hot salty blood cascaded down his face. He screwed his eyes shut but it didn't lessen the pain.

The interrogator laughed, "I can do this all day."

Shikaku sagged and would have fallen if not for the fist in his hair.

"Just tell me what I want to know."

Shikaku easily conjured the images of his best friends in his minds-eye. Inoichi and his flower fixation, Choza and his cooking. It brought a small smile to his lips. Then their was his wife and their three month year old son. He smirked, Yoshino was going to hit him for being late.

"What are you laughing at?" the Ame-nin snarled, "I'll give you something to laugh at leaf scum." the knife cut again, this time below his right eye.

Shikaku screamed but clung to the image of his wife and small son. He had to be strong, for them.

* * *

Suzuki Kohaku ran as fast as he could. If he kept the speed up he would make it to Ame in half a day instead of a whole one. He hoped Badger could hold out that long.

Trees swam by and the atmosphere grew denser, the sky darkening. Damn it was going to rain. Kohaku inwardly groaned. There was a reason most shinobi hated Ame.

He reached the village by late afternoon and slipped in undetected. He slunk through the shadows listening to the people as he went.

Ame's black ops headquarters was in the rougher part of the village masquerading as a derelict block of flats. Kohaku slipped in threw an open window on the third floor.

It looked like someone's apartment but it was empty. He swiftly made his way to the door and scrutinised it for wards and seals. Nothing, the apartment wasn't in use. Kohaku picked the lock and stepped out into the hall.

Masking his chakra he slowly made his way down to the basement. So far so good.

* * *

Shikaku spat blood from between his teeth and smirked, "Is that the best you can do?" he taunted, "A baby could hit harder."

The Ame interrogator snarled, "I'll give you harder." Long thin rain drops materialised from thin air and fell pinning Shikaku to the ground face upward.

Interesting technique Shikaku mused, something to do with the moisture in the air then solidifying it so they're like senbon only stronger.

The interrogator chose a different knife this time. This one was longer and slightly curved. With a cruel sneer the Ame-nin slashed down cutting the prone Konoha shinobi from the bottom of his ribs to his navel.

Shikaku yelled blood soaking his trousers and slicking his chest. He lay gasping while black spots danced in front of his eyes.

The next slash made his vision swim and Shikaku sunk into blissful unconsciousness.

* * *

Kohaku reached the torture rooms in time to hear the gut wrenching scream. He flattened himself against the wall his heart hammering in his ears. When the screams subsided he really hoped that he'd make it in time.

The door to the torture chamber slammed open and the Ame interrogator stomped out cursing under his breath.

Kohaku waited until he was sure the enemy nin was gone before hurrying to the door. The interrogator had been in such a hurry he'd forgotten to seal the room back up.

Kohaku slipped in and knelt by the fallen shinobi. The face matched the profile photo despite being crusted with blood. He didn't have time to start fixing Badger up or get him conscious again.

He pulled the injured ANBU agent over his shoulder and vanished down the corridor. They were almost out when things went wrong.

Kohaku turned a corner and almost ran head long into a returning Ame black ops agent. Kohaku almost over balanced but managed to remain up right.

The enemy shinobi dropped into fighting stance and called out an alarm.

Kohaku swore, he was no good at offence. He spun on his heal and tore back the way he had come branching off down another side passage.

The other ninja took off after him in hot pursuit.

Kohaku managed to avoid most of the projectiles thrown at him but one scrapped his cheek another lodged its self in his side.

A water dragon jutsu caught him off guard and nearly finished him off. Thankfully he managed to escape using a chunin level fire jutsu.

Now soaking the blood from his side flowed faster. He swore and cast a concealing jutsu and swung up into the rafters until some of the mayhem calmed down. Then he dropped down and slipped out of the window translocating outside the village.

He figured he had a few hours head start but not much and Badger really needed instant medical attention.

He ran as fast as he could until he reached a deserted house near the border between Ame and Konoha. He set his patient down and set about fortifying the place. Kohaku then used his defence jutsu to cover himself and Badger so that he would have some time to help the injured man.

* * *

_Authors Notes: Dancing with Shadows is part of a series of short stories and one shots called Bonds. You can find the other stories on my profile._

_Oh also can someone give me a heads up if this is too graphic to be rated as T (thanks)_

_Sakebottle_


End file.
